1946 Studebaker, 1954 Ford F-100 & 1962 Dodge Truck - Readers' Trucks

"StudeFord"Jeff and Melissa Davis, of Port Republic, VA, figured they'd share a little somethin' with us about their recently completed '46 Stude:

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"Just thought I'd show you what some of your readers' trucks look like, so I'm sending you some photos of my '46 M-5 custom Studebaker. I bought the truck in early 2005 and I worked on it in my spare time. I finished it in September 2007. The engine is an all-new 5.0 Ford and the trans is a C-6 automatic. The rearend is from a '57 Ford Fairlane with 3.70 gears. The cab is about 75 percent original. The interior is custom with Auto Meter gauges, a handmade fiberglass console, fiberglass kick panels, and a '69 Mustang steering column. I built the new bed using 1/8-inch steel for the side panels and roll pan. The tailgate is all new as well, except for the Studebaker stamp that was cut from the original tailgate. The rear fenders have also been widened 1 inch to make room for the M50 Mickey Thompson tires. The wood in the bed is walnut. On the dash we added wood with a laser-engraved Studebaker logo. The running boards are handmade from fiberglass. After about 600 hours of bodywork I painted the Studebaker Viper Red."

We must say it's not often we run across Studebaker pickups, unfortunately. And to run across a Studebaker built with the underpinnings from the Blue Oval, well, we have to say we're headed to buy some lottery tickets! This just might be our lucky day in more than one way.

Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.

Gotta Do It YourselfMichael LaVigne, from Franklin, NC, is a DIY kind of guy, especially when it comes to his '54 F100 Ford truck. Michael did all the work from the ground up himself. First, he started off by stripping the Ford down and bringing the frame up to date. Up front, he installed a Volare frontend. In the back he removed leafs until he got the height he wanted. Putting power to the pavement is a Ford 302 motor. He also equipped the truck with power steering and a tilt steering column for comfort. The body is all steel, which has been worked over by Michael. When the surface was glass-like, he sprayed the truck in Viper Red. After two and a half years of work, Michael is more than excited to finally have the Ford on the road-who wouldn't be!

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Imperialistic IdeaWhen John Harold Bates Jr.'s father passed away, he left him this '62 Dodge truck. Having such fond memories of the Dodge as a kid, John decided to restore the truck. However, John unfortunately got arrested and locked up before he could finish the job. He still wanted to share with everyone what his dad had done with the truck. Being a Mopar man through and through, John Harold Bates Sr. kept everything in the Mopar family. Needing more power, he dropped in a 392 wedge head Hemi he pirated from a '58 Chrysler Imperial. The motor, from the factory in '58, is rated at 345 hp! So you can be sure the truck can light 'em up. Other than that, the truck was left pretty stock, due to a few reasons. Number one: John wanted a '62 Dodge to look like a '62 Dodge. Number two: It's a driver. We'd say the Dodge is pretty cool, and hope to see the thing finished one day.